First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

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First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by hamin_aus »

Sophos wrote: SX/Leap-A worm spreads via iChat instant messaging software

Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have announced the discovery of the first virus for the Apple Mac OS X platform. The virus, named OSX/Leap-A (also known as OSX/Oompa-A) spreads via instant messaging systems.

The OSX/Leap-A worm spreads via the iChat instant messaging system, forwarding itself as a file called latestpics.tgz to contacts on the infected users' buddy list. When the latestpics.tgz archive file is opened on a computer it disguises its contents with a JPEG graphic icon in an attempt to fool people into thinking it is harmless.
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Post by MrG- »

I hope there is Anti Virus software for Mac OS X
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Post by hamin_aus »

Ummm, Sophos :?:
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Post by MrG- »

lol, dont know what that is, but ok! :)
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by Tander »

Jeees, what's the bet Linux will also get its first virus pretty soon! :shock:
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by hamin_aus »

Great necro or greatest necro :?:
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by Fish_man »

but at least the Linux AV will be free ;-)
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by WiK1d »

Fish_man wrote:but at least the Linux AV will be free ;-)
Point being?
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by Fish_man »

WiK1d wrote:
Fish_man wrote:but at least the Linux AV will be free ;-)
Point being?
well Apple AV is gonna be expensive just like the MS stuff.............u figure out the rest
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by hamin_aus »

Plenty of quality free AVs for Windows...

Apple & 'nix FTL
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by chowzen »

the Sophos 5 Licence price is R1500 . so its not expensive at all. Norton is waaaaayyy over that. and Sophos is excellent. we run on our mac network and it purrs like a kitty dropped ankle deep in cream.
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by Mow »

Dude you are more productive with virus and spyware infestations than you are with Norton.

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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

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necro 2: the reckoning :P
inq wrote:However Apple is also actually more insecure because of the attitude of its customers. A computer's security, if it exists, is only as good as the user. Unfortunately in the case of the Mac the user is a smug, technologically illiterate person who believes they are invulnerable because they use a Mac. Such people randomly press buttons, visit sites that sensible people don't and download things carelessly because Apple's marketing tells them they are safe.

A recent Eset survey last year showed that when Apple users fell for phishing crime they tended to lose a lot more cash than a Windows PC user. The cynic in me thinks that if you spend a third more than you need to for your PC and think that the Ipad is a pretty neat idea then you are exactly the sort of mark that a phishing campaign is designed to reach.
:? when did i start writing for the inquirer :lol:
Microsoft has long ago realised that sitting on vulnerabilities without patching them is dead stupid
sheer bloody tripe... there are flaws so well known that they're now considered part of the family... some of them have been around since ME... :/

tl;dr - unknown specialists declare Mac is less secure than windows... because mac users perform unspeakable acts on kittens or some such...
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

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Unfortunately in the case of the Mac the user is a smug, technologically illiterate person who believes they are invulnerable because they use a Mac. Such people randomly press buttons, visit sites that sensible people don't and download things carelessly because Apple's marketing tells them they are safe.
aahahaha, I have to remember that for when I'm having another discussion with a Mac user... :lol:
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by chowzen »

LOL
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

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random resurrection titbit gets a pretentious-douche-nerd-rage upgrade... :lol:
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by hamin_aus »

rustypup wrote:random resurrection titbit gets a pretentious-douche-nerd-rage upgrade... :lol:
Gee, a profanity filled, grammatically poor rant from "long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and a regular contributor to the MacDailyNews Opinion section" (aka unwashed hippy douchebag), Steven Jack.

What a delightful way to start the morning.

I love his claim about no Mac Viruses in the last 10 years. Perhaps someone should send him the link in my OP :lol:
Yet again, for the umpteenth time — sigh — it is utterly illogical to state or imply that the Mac platform is secure via obscurity.
No, it is not illogical.
It actually does make sense - ask someone who writes mass mailer worms or keyloggers which platform will give him the most returns on his investment.... Even if 100 Mac users got infected for every 1 PC user, he would still have an order of magnitude more PC users infected.
Ergo, it's not worth his time to write viruses for Mac.
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by rustypup »

multimedia producer
ie, posted several clips of him "abusing" himself on youtube... :lol:
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Re: First ever virus for Mac OS X discovered

Post by ryanrich »

rustypup wrote:
multimedia producer
ie, posted several clips of him "abusing" himself on youtube... :lol:
Reminds me of another comment I read. Something along the lines of Mac's are for 13 year old girls who want to make home video's of their cats for upload to youtube... :lol:

That one also gets em going every time, hehe.
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